Here’s a tiny little story my dad wrote that I decided to revise and give to him:

The Mouse and the Mushroom

Originally told by Frank Grau Jr. Retold here by Trinity Grau

There once was a little mouse named Milton. For all the mice there were in the little community he lived in, he was a pretty respective mouse. After all, he hadn’t stolen like Johnny Mouse, who had taken a muffin from the sweet Molly Mouse. And he hadn’t lied like little Tommy Mouse, who had told everyone that a human was going to step on them. Milton wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he was good and sweet.

One day, mice got a notion into their heads that they should have something to cover their heads. Blame it on the mouse that saw a lady in a wide-brimmed hat, but the community fell in love with the creations. There were floppy hats, top hats, small hats, felt hats, knitted hats, and other hats of all kinds. Soon mice everywhere in that little wood had at least one hat. It was the latest fashion, and Milton, being very poor from a house-ware profession, didn’t have the money to get one. Milton was laughed at, teased, sympathized for, and told numerous times that ‘a respectable mouse has something to cover their head, be it for day, night, or even in bed.’ Milton was getting tired of being the only one, so one day after a lot of teasing, poor Milton rushed away for a walk, hoping to have some peace.

As he walked along he spotted a patch of mushrooms. Tall mushrooms, short mushrooms, mushrooms in every size and shape.

What Milton didn’t notice was that a storm was brewing, and he needed to get some shelter, quick. Wind blew and lighting shone. Rain began to pour down fast and hard. Squeaking with fear, Milton ran for the mushrooms and picking up a small one placed it on his head to cover his ears and grabbed another one, larger, for an umbrella. Only when he was safe did Milton realize how smashing he looked with the little mushroom hat. “I could almost wear this all the time!” He said to himself.

Over the next few days Milton wore the mushroom hat. At first the mice laughed, but as he wore it more over the past few days the mice realized that it was quite an amazing hat. Soon, every mouse wanted one.

“I’ll trade you,” he would tell them slyly. “For your hats.”

Eagerly, the mice would give him their beautiful hats and proudly display their mushroom hat the next day. Within a week, all the mice had a mushroom hat. However, soon they wilted and Milton was the only mouse in the village with a hat. He would walk around each day with a new hat and all the rest of the mice would wish they hadn’t been so foolish.

The End

Well, what do you think of the story? Credit goes to my Pop for being an amazing storyteller. Until Friday, when I finally publish that “special” review I mentioned.